Can you believe it has been 11 years since Modern Family first premiered?
So much has changed since the ABC comedy sitcom aired its pilot episode back in 2009, especially for co-stars Sarah Hyland, Ariel Winter, and Nolan Gould who were still very young when they were originally cast for the show.
On Wednesday night, the group of actors each had a lot to say about their experience growing up in the public eye during the 2020 Television Critics Association winter press tour in Pasadena, California.
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It’s no surprise that Modern Family‘s anniversary would bring up some interesting old stories. Heck, most child actors probably have a mouthful to say about their early years in the limelight.
Gould, who portrayed Luke Dunphy, kicked off things off by opening up about how puberty hit him harder than it did any of the KarJenners in the last decade (sorry, we had to!). He admitted:
“There’s definitely one season for me where I hit puberty right before we went on break. So when I came back, I had completely changed, but like, not quite enough past…my voice was, like, cracking. It is kind of strange having those years broadcasted to millions of people. It’s like your home movies but for everyone to see.”
Despite his insecurities, the 21-year-old continued he felt “lucky” to have such a supportive fanbase through it all:
“We feel like family to everyone that watches the show. I got nothing but support from our own family, our TV family and all our fans out there that it was pretty easy to transition through those years.”
The Ladies Weigh In…
Meanwhile, Winter, who played the star’s on-screen sister named Alex Dunphy, argued her personal experience was a bit more challenging than her peer described:
“I think it’s difficult for any child actor, though that’s a really hated-on term, but for any child actor to grow up on TV in front of millions of people because millions of people then think they know you and they think they know you really well and think they can comment on everything you wear or everything you do or how you grow up and change.”
She went on to recall a particularly painful stretch of time where she let remarks about her body’s natural physical transformation really get to her:
“I do have to say it was a really awkward year for me because I also went through puberty that summer. So it was, like, we had episodes with me in braces, and then over the summer once we wrapped, I had other things. But I still wasn’t fully through puberty like Nolan, so I had things. It was awkward. I definitely think it’s really difficult to grow up in front of those people who have an opinion on everything you do and who are allowed to say it at any point.”
Chiming in with support for her fellow female co-star, 29-year-old Hyland argued that “It’s probably easier” for young men in the biz than it is for young women.
See, the Haley Dunphy portrayer is the oldest of the bunch and started the show at age 18 after she already went through her developmental growth spurt.
But even still, the starlet said she still looks back on certain “cringeworthy” seasons with disdain for her appearance:
“So I cannot stand, I think it’s season four or five, because I had very bad Prednisone face and I gained like 30 pounds. And that for me was something that Ariel and I were, I think, going through around the same time, where she got her things—that’s what you said right? She got things and stuff, and I had another thing, but not as fun. But people really love to attack women especially, and I think Ariel is such an amazing woman and has always been so mature and handles it with such grace and poise, and I think between the two of us, we really have gone and tackled them with all of our spice and wit.”
Winter also added how her perspective towards “keyboard trolls” and their negative comments shifted over time:
“I’d respond back and be salty to somebody who is salty to me or I’d respond back and try and be nice about it and hope that maybe their day goes better. But then, as I got older, I developed a thicker skin and I said to myself, ‘You know, it’s going to bother me because it never goes away, but you’re still human.’ But at the same time, you just gotta remember that these people online – what they’re saying – it’s not your opinion of yourself.”
Ugh. The price of early fame is too real.
We’re glad to hear these talented group actors didn’t let the opinions of others take them down in the long run!
[Image via Brian To/WENN]
